Table Of Content“If you are not an assertive person, this book will help you. It is a
down-to-earth, practical and eminently sensible guide to achieving
successful interactions with all the people in your life – inside and
outside the workplace.”
Professor Brenda Gourley, Former Vice Chancellor and CEO of The
Open University
“Written in a down-to-earth and pragmatic style, this book shows
that asserting yourself in the right way will lead to a happier, more
satisfying and healthy life and bring profound rewards at work and
home – a great read!”
Simon Cooper, Director of Organisation Effectiveness at Infor-
matica Corporation and Author of Brilliant Leader
“We all sometimes hit low points in our lives and careers. I loved
this book as it was brilliant at reminding me of the importance to
prepare and practice for those challenging situations that we face
at work and at home.”
Donna Kinnair DBE, Chief Nurse NHS Southeast London
“Whether at home, at work, at rest or at play, being assertive can
be the difference between getting what you want and failing to meet
your own standards. This book shows how to be yourself and
improve your life by saying what needs to be said.”
David Holdgate, CEO, Satellite Information Services
“Getting the right balance of assertiveness is critical, especially in
your career – this book is an empowering, practical guide in how
to achieve this.”
Gary Bullard, CEO, Logica, UK
“The perfect read for anyone who wants to be more assertive in
any area of their life.”
Ann Craven, Director Supply Chain, Invensys
“In this book, Conrad and Suzanne bring their wisdom, experience
and unique viewpoints to bear on one of the most challenging areas
of human interaction.”
John Varney, CEO, Maximum Clarity
“A practical and down-to-earth guide showing you how to be more
assertive; it will help you, friends, family and colleagues communi-
cate better and get more from life.”
Stella Collins, MD, Stellar Learning & Founder of The Brain
Friendly Learning Group
“Assertiveness provides open, honest and practical solutions to help
you communicate your ideas clearly and get what you want when
it really matters”
Kevin Davidson, CEO, Maxwell Drummond International
“This book is an empowering, practical guide to transforming your
life by becoming more assertive.”
Simon Vyvyan, CEO, Industry Media Ltd
“This book shares a wealth of sound practical advice to help you
be more assertive, effective and in control of your life.”
Sally Morris, Housing Manager, Littlehampton & Rustington
Housing Society
“Read this book and you can pull even the hardest people into line.
As a manager, you need your team to be on board with you and
deliver projects – this book will put you on the path to project
success.”
Clive Davies, Project Manager, Engineering, Metadata
Assertiveness
How to be strong in every situation
Conrad & Suzanne Potts
Cover design: Binary & The Brain
© 2013 Conrad & Suzanne Potts
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ISBN 978–0-857–08368–5 (paperback) ISBN 978–0-857–08366–1 (ebk)
ISBN 978–0-857–08367–8 (ebk) ISBN 978–0-857–08365–4 (ebk)
Set in 10/13.5 pt Sabon by Toppan Best-set Premedia Limited
Printed in Great Britain by TJ International Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall, UK
This book is dedicated to our children Sarah, Jo & Oliver
Contents
Introduction 1
Part One 5
1 What is Assertion? 7
2 Win-Win 29
3 It’s All in the Mind 47
4 Assertive Communication 85
Part Two 125
5 Getting the Respect You Deserve at Work 129
6 Getting the Best Out of People at Work 141
7 Handling Difficult Behaviour and Coping
with Conflict 155
8 Being Assertive in Meetings and Presentations 167
9 Families – Who’d Have ’em? 181
10 Friends, Neighbours and Social Occasions 193
11 Getting the Service You Deserve 205
Sustaining Your Assertion 217
About the Authors 225
Acknowledgements 227
Index 229
vii
